story-based strategy model: grassroots organizing meets narrative power

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Presentation of Model: Story-Based Strategy Grassroots Organizing Meets Narrative Power Progressive Communicators Network Gathering Chicago, IL May 29, 2009

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Presentation of Model:Story-Based StrategyGrassroots Organizing Meets Narrative Power

Progressive Communicators Network GatheringChicago, ILMay 29, 2009

NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF

POWER

STORY-BASED

STRATEGYSTRATEGY

EXTERNALPhysical/Economic

INTERNALNarrative/Ideological

Power Over

Narrative Power Analysis

Changing the Stories: not what people don’t know, but what they do know =FILTERS

Examining Dominant Stories/Origin Myths in US Culture

Power shapes Point of View of the story

Stories can Normalize Power/Universalize Experience

\

Meme“A unit of self replicating cultural information”

Contagious ideas, stories, images, and rituals that spread fromimagination to imagination, generation to generation, shaping andshifting human cultures…

a capsule for a story to spread…

Elements of a Story-Based Strategy

Frame the Conflict Draws our attention to particular details of the

story and avoids others outside the frame

Amplifies the Voices of Impacted Characters Stories speak to us through relevant spokespeople

Show Don’t Tell -- Use Images to Engage Values A good story emphasizes imagery and values over data

Foreshadowing --Shows the Future/Offer Vision People will only go someplace that they have first been to in their minds

Targets and shifts underlying assumptions

story Amplify

Deepen Analysis/Connect

Mobilize

Organize

The Points of Intervention

How do we reframe and challenge dominant stories?

The Points of Intervention

How do we reframe and challenge dominant stories?

Points of intervention are places in the system where we can intervene to change the story. They are “vulnerabilities” or “fissures” that we can exploit where the dominant stories are already weak.

The Points of Intervention

How do we reframe and challenge dominant stories?

Points of intervention are places in the system where we can intervene to change the story. They are “vulnerabilities” or “fissures” that we can exploit where the dominant stories are already weak.

Actions at a point of intervention can interrupt the control narrative of power and change the story.

production

consumption

decision

destruction Points of Intervention

production

consumption

decision

destruction Points of intervention

Point of AssumptionPoint of Assumption

Story-Based Strategy

The “shadow” audience

Creating the fishbowl

Reframing Jobs vs. Environment

Winning the Battle of the Story

Design: Campaign Narrative

ELMERHERE

Meme Campaign

Action Logic:World Bank oneBay

Action Logic: Capitol Climate Action

Encapsulating Story as Meme

Action @ point of assumption:

Bush “mandate” meme

Making the Invisible Visible

Action at the Point of Assumption

War

vs.

Occupation

In order to achieve deepinstitutional change, we must shiftmeaning in the dominant culture

Story-based Strategy

In order to achieve deepinstitutional change, we must shiftmeaning in the dominant culture

Culture is made of stories & memes

Story-based Strategy

In order to achieve deepinstitutional change, we must shiftmeaning in the dominant culture

Culture is made of stories & memes

Stories are founded on assumptions

Story-based Strategy

In order to achieve deepinstitutional change, we must shiftmeaning in the dominant culture

Culture is made of stories & memes

Stories are founded on assumptions

Intervention in stories can shiftassumptions -- and contest dominantculture -- to help achieve fundamentalchange.

Story-based Strategy

A call to innovation…

o Facing the Slow MotionApocalypse

o Harnessing psychic breaks

o Post-issue activism

o Towards Ecological Justice…

www.smartMeme.org